Skip to main content

Industry 4.0 - The Challenges Faced By India To Successfully Incorporate It

In my last post , I wrote about the numerous openings and opportunities Industry 4,0 presents as it dawns a new era upon us. 


As with any new or developing technology introduced into a relatively traditional sector of functioning, the implementation of Industry 4.0 too comes ridden with challenges.


For the major part of India’s history, the focus was on agricultural systems, IT being an introduction only in the later years of it’s development. 

Therefore, there’s a baseline assessment of requirements and incorporation of digital manufacturing elements and existing capabilities that’s required, due to the diffused nature of the Indian Manufacturing industry. This documentation is a prerequisite to the introduction of Industry 4.0 in these sectors.


Since more than 80% of the manufacturing industry in India is in the MSME sector, the implementation of Industry 4.0 is a major challenge.



The replacement and/or upgradation of legacy systems and production infrastructure are major challenges because the indigenous capability of integration of I4.0 systems in existing production infrastructure is limited. T

he standardisation and adoption of a standard architecture similar to that of the Reference Architecture model for I4.0 in Germany doesn’t exist in India yet. This could be a major challenge, as is the policy for standardisation.


As cyber security in digital manufacturing remains a challenge, enabling I4.0 isn’t the wisest option considering the rising level of cyber crimes .

Most other industries are not aware of the advantages of moving to  an Industry 4.0 - based production system. The general impression is that it requires high capex, exceptional skills and that the returns may not be commensurate.



The non-availability of a comprehensive Broad-Band infrastructure is another challenge. Hopefully it will be in place by 2022.


There is a general apprehension that the introduction of Industry 4.0 in production systems will result in excessive unemployment. Many debates on the subject demand reskilling of the workforce in a way that’s suitable for I4.0, only time will tell which way this is bound to go.



Another challenge would be in the Artificial Intelligence scene. Automation/VR/AI Analytics / machine to machine communication will have to be developed and put in place through a focused industry or academia driven R&D programme for faster and cost effective flexible customised introduction of Industry 4.0 technology.


The machine tool industry in the country imports most of the smart machines resulting in high Capex and operating cost . Sustaining Industry 4.0 production infrastructure without a sound indigenous capability to design & manufacture smart machines remains a challenge as has been witnessed when CNC machines were introduced in India.


Also, providing open source software and hardware with flexibility for customisation in the absence of standards in a multivendor service providers environment remains a challenge.



At the outset, India needs to put in place a roadmap for graduating to Industry 4.0 involving all stake holders from industry, academia, research institutions and international collaborators to set up strong indigenous base for all the building blocks of Industry 4.0 , and set out priorities for upgradation sectorwise through national & international collaboration in simulation , design of system, acquisition of smart machines, development of software and (re)skilling of workforce.



Location: India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Day In My Life - Glimpses of my recently concluded Rajasthan Trip

Rajasthan has always held a special place in my life, so when I was scheduled to travel there recently, I was quite looking forward to the trip. It was a three-day trip and I went about appointments as usual. A lot of my readers were asking me to write a post on some of the talks and seminars I’ve been a part of so I thought this trip would be a good place to start. I reached Rajasthan late on the 29th of August and prepped for a couple of meetings the next day.  It  was a bright sunny morning as always and after a quick morning routine I headed to meet Professor Bhatia , (Vice Chancellor, Poornima University) and Dr. Prabhat Pankaj, Director, Jaipuria Institute of Management for the convocations held in their respective institutions. It was pleasant to meet the vibrant young graduates who will soon shape the face of our country.                                    ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Early life of Dr. V. K .Saraswat - Fighting stage fear

My position demands quite a lot of public speaking and addressing events and conventions, and other such public events. Almost often, I get invited to speak at the dais, facing the audience and the cameras to give my opinion or something, to speak of a decision made or to announce plans made by the body I’m currently associated with. I must say, that I’ve come to see it as a privilege today more than I did years ago, where I would tremble at the very thought of having to speak in front of an audience. It’s but natural, I think, for when we’re children to be afraid of public speaking. Some call it stage fear, some say “you’re a shy child” when we refuse to perform in front of relatives who come home while sometimes, you’re just a taciturn of sorts. Stage fright may be a small issue while growing up, but later often manifests itself in many ways - you may not be an active participant in college activities, you may not be very confident in job interviews and you may not be ...
2 comments
Read more

My take on Inclusive Growth – Part 2 ( ISB Dean Speaker series

  While growth still remains the most important parameter of any poverty reduction attempt, inclusive growth is basically related to redistributive growth. Inclusive development creates opportunities for all segments of the society in health, education, skill development, jobs, reducing poverty, entrepreneurship etc. on the principle of equality and focuses on outcomes and processes involving people’s participation and benefit-sharing. While one can’t have Economic Development without economic growth, GDP is not the only indicator of prosperity. A clear example of this statement are countries like China and India who have huge GDPs but lag behind in areas like health, overall wellness and life-expectancy among others. An inclusive green economy can reduce poverty and inequality We all aspire to reach better living conditions, yet this will not be possible by following the current growth model. We need a practical, 21 st century development model tha...
Post a Comment
Read more